Friday, 20 October, 2006

Richmond & Yorktown

Today’s the big day. Do I have any second thoughts? Sure, but what’s reassuring is that plenty of people have done this before me, and many 10 – 20 years older.

The day begins with the sun shining through the curtains, which I interpret to be a good sign. I walk downstairs and look outside, and the ground is wet. I hear on the news that it’s rained all night, but is clearing.

Dad’s driving me to Yorktown, Va., which is the traditional starting point for cyclists riding the “trans-America” route. In Yorktown the river opens up into the Chesapeake Bay, and is the historic site of the final major battle between the United States and England in the Revolutionary war. It just so happens that I’m beginning my journey on the 225^th anniversary of Cornwallis’ surrender. This anniversary will be celebrated in a major fashion with battle reenactments, special events, and visiting dignitaries. I’m guessing that this unremarkable anniversary is being celebrated as a lead-in to next year’s 400^th anniversary of the first major permanent settlement in the “New World”.

We get a late start – with packing and a trip to the local bike shop, Agee’s. Then it’s just an hour’s drive down Interstate 64 to Williamsburg, and another 20 miles to Yorktown. The first thing that I notice going down the highway are the fall colors. A few trees have already matured into rich reds and deep yellows. But it’s scattered, and obvious that the peak of the color change has not yet progressed this far south.

When we reach Yorktown, we find that there is a line of cars waiting to get into the Yorktown Battlefield National Park. I ask Dad to stop the car, and I get out to ask one of the rangers for some trip directions and advice. He introduces himself as “Shack” and tells me that he was based here back in the 1970’s, which is when he met his wife who was attending school at William and Mary. But now they are living in Fredericksburg, where he’s working at another National Park at the site of one of the biggest battles of the War Between the States. Extra support was solicited from throughout the Park Service, anticipating crowds for this event.

By now it’s getting late in the afternoon, and I realize that I need to get moving. While Dad investigates the visitor’s center, I get my bike and trailer put together. Then we head down to the waterfront, so that Dad can take a picture of me at the water’s edge. The mouth of the York River opens up here into the Chesapeake, and for tran-America cyclists, this represent the Atlantic Ocean.

After a quick snack of oyster stew and a shared crab cake, I hug Dad goodbye and head out for the parkway. It’s dusk and getting dark quickly. I’m not too worried, as the speed limit is restricted to 45 mph all the way to Williamsburg, and motorists are accustomed to sharing the road with cyclists. I can feel the extra load of the trailer – it takes some work to keep it from oscillating back and forth. Steady strokes seem to be the answer.

The black river stretches off to my right, and I pass a naval yard which is brightly lit. Then it progressively gets darker, and I’m finding that it’s incredibly difficult to see. There is no moon, and no streetlights, and every time a car approaches with the new, brighter headlights, I find that I’m blinded. Often, I find that I have to stop and wait until a line of approaching cars has passed, before I can see again. I pull off onto a scenic overlook and change the lenses of my sunglasses from yellow to clear. It’s not easy in the dark. A park ranger pulls in and asks me if I’m okay? I recognize the voice, and realize that it’s “Shack”. He wishes me a good trip and I head slowly on to Williamsburg.

A friend of mine from college days, Bill Jones, has graciously offered me a place to stay, and as he’s right in town it’s the perfect place to be based. My favorite undergraduate college professor, Steve Clement, also offered me his home, but he’s got a beautiful farm outside of Williamsburg that’s just too far to get to tonight.

Bill’s waiting for me, not knowing what to expect (am I arriving by car or bike?) and has prepared a tremendous dinner of crab cakes and cucumber salad. Inside, I find that Bill’s still keeping a collection of exotic snakes and lizards, as well as two friendly cats and a sea turtle. Outside there is a porch covered with a variety of bromeliads, which is another of Bill’s passions.

Bill and I catch up – he’s just been to San Francisco and visited with another one of our college friends. In the 1970’s, we all worked together as waiters at the King’s Arms Tavern, which was part of a work study program that funded my education. Most of my friends moved on to other professions, but a few of the old crowd remains at the tavern. Bill has a masters degree in marine biology and is working at VIMS, a marine science affiliate of the college.